Little Helena Kyle Series
by EmpressV
Summary: Before she was a dark broody superhero Helena was just someone's daughter, but that didn't mean she didn't have adventures.
1. Little Helena Kyle 1

Title: Little Helena Kyle #1  
Author: Empress Vader (empressvader01@hotmail.com)  
Rating: PG-13 (someone says a curse word)  
feedback: I live and breath the stuff  
  
Summary: Helena's been raised under Selina Kyle's watchful eye for most of  
her life, but she seeks to explore the world outside.  
  
A/N: I was having a hard time trying to put Selina in the role of mother.  
Having a child/raising a child/being responsible for a child changes  
people. I spent awhile asking myself how to handle it, I hope I did a good  
job.  
  
*************  
  
  
1.  
Intro: There was a time when Helena wasn't aware of her gifts. When she was  
just the young daughter of a business woman. This story tells the tale of a  
Young Helena Kyle.  
---------  
  
After giving baby Helena her last bottle, she laid her in the crib. Helena  
quickly curled up with the teddy bear and stuck her thumb in her mouth.  
Selina wondered if she should break her of the habit. However, she was in  
no rush to take away Helena's baby years. 20 months old, she didn't know  
where the months had gone. Just yesterday it seemed like she had a little  
fragile newborn in her arms.  
  
She paused, barely noticing it. It was faint, a sudden noise on her  
balcony. Selina checked to make sure Helena was asleep before moving into  
the main room. She crept slowly toward the balcony making sure it wasn't  
who she believed to be. The lights were dim and she could see the outline  
of someone in a bat suit. But it wasn't him.  
  
"Barbara," Selina said flipping on a light.  
  
Batgirl stepped into the room holding a baby bottle in one hand and a pull  
toy in the other.  
  
"How could you hide this from him?"  
  
"She isn't his concern," Selina said taking the baby things from her.  
"Helena and I are doing just fine."  
  
"So she is his?"  
  
"She's mine."  
  
"He has a right to--"  
  
Selina put up a hand to silence her. "What's he going to do, strap her on  
his back as he flies across rooftops."  
  
"Selina," Barbara began.  
  
"There's no place for her in Batman's life or Bruce Wayne's. They're busy  
enough with each other. I can put away my mask for her, he can't."  
  
"It's not your job to make that decision for him."  
  
"And it's not your decision at all. This has nothing to do with you. I'm  
doing the best I can to give her a normal life, he can never do that. Not  
only that, imagine the pressure if she ever found out she was the daughter  
of the legend of Gotham City. Even if he is a myth to most people, he won't  
be one to Helena."  
  
"And what about Catwoman? How will she feel when she learns that?"  
  
"She'll never need to know about Catwoman."  
  
"So you're not going to explain the Metahuman thing to her either. You know  
she may be..."  
  
"She may be perfectly normal."  
  
"She's not even two yet, she may not show signs of her metahuman abilities  
until--"  
  
"Stop. Right now she's just Selina Kyle's little girl. And if I have  
anything to say about it, it's going to stay that way. We're not going to  
test for it, we're not going to look for it. If it turns out -- then we'll  
deal with it. But I'm not going to make her feel like she has to live up to  
Bruce Wayne, or Batman, or make her worry about some metahuman ability that  
may never come."  
  
"You should prepare her. Eventually the truth will see the light. She's not  
going to be a baby forever."  
  
"She'll be my baby forever," Selina said looking at the bottle.  
  
  
---------  
  
about 7 years later  
  
Helena followed Barbara to the car. Miss Barbara had picked her up from the  
bus station. Helena attended a prep school outside the city and only came  
home on Holidays and some weekends. She always looked forward to returning  
to the city and spending time with her mother, so she was a little  
disappointed that her mother wasn't there to pick her up. But she liked  
Miss Barbara, so it wouldn't be terrible or anything. She was just looking  
forward to seeing her mother.  
  
"Thanks for picking me up," Helena said.  
  
"Not a problem," Barbara said pulling off. "How was this semester?"  
  
"Fine," Helena replied. "I passed."  
  
"Just passed?"  
  
"Is my mom home?" Helena questioned changing the subject.  
  
"No, but she will be tomorrow. Tonight you're sleeping at my house."  
  
Helena sighed and slouched in the seat.  
  
"Believe me, only something very important could keep her away from you,"  
Barbara told her.  
  
"Do you think there is anyway Mom wouldn't make me go back to that school  
next year."  
  
"It's a good school. Bruce Wayne went there I believe," Barbara told her.  
  
"I don't care who went there. It's a bunch of bratty rich kids. I may not  
be underprivileged, but I'm not one of them and they know it."  
  
"You'll be okay," Barbara said.  
  
"My only friend left the school when his parents moved."  
  
  
  
They were back in the city before they knew it. Barbara took her out to a  
movie and to lunch. Then shopping. It was getting dark when they arrived at  
Barbara's apartment. They opened the door and were shocked to find a man  
waiting inside.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Barbara asked surprised, but not alarmed at all.  
Helena reasoned she knew him. "This is Mr. Grayson, say hi Helena."  
  
"Hi Mr. Grayson," Helena replied. "I'm Helena."  
  
"Hi Helena," the man replied with a smile. His voice was warm.  
  
"She's the daughter of a friend," Barbara explained.  
  
"You're babysitting?" he asked surprised.  
  
"Yeah, she's staying the night with me." Barbara turned to Helena. "I want  
you to get your toothbrush, take a bath, get ready for bed, okay kid."  
  
"Okay," Helena said going to her small bag and retrieving a toothbrush and  
toothpaste. Then she grabbed a nightgown from one of her larger bags.  
  
"I'll meet you in the study," Mr. Grayson said to Barbara and then he  
stepped out of the room.  
  
"Is that your boyfriend?" Helena asked in a whisper. "Were you suppose to  
go on a date?"  
  
"That's none of your business." Barbara told her. "I know you have a habit  
of getting into things that are none of your business, but don't let  
curiosity get the better of you."  
  
"Okay," Helena said reluctantly heading to the bathroom.  
  
  
  
Helena took a bath, brushed her teeth and put on her nightgown. She came  
into Barbara's living room and found the couch was already laid out for  
her. She laid down on the couch and turned on the TV. She spent awhile  
fliping channels, but her eyes kept glancing toward the cracked door that  
hid Miss Barbara and Mr. Grayson from view. She tried to focus on some show  
called "You'll never believe it's True" that talked about a rumored flying  
man, but somehow the story just didn't interest her.  
  
She tried to lean her head over the couch to catch a word or two of  
conversation. She fell off the couch trying. She was use to falling, she  
had two left feet. She quit dance, much to her mother's dismay, because she  
lacked coordination.  
  
She got up and moved closer to the door, she had to get a peak at them. She  
imagined seeing them kissing softly, trying not to wake her. Maybe she'd  
say she want some orange juice or something and they would look  
embarrassed. That would be funny, grownups hated to be caught by a kid. She  
slowly slid across the wall and peaked in the door. She was surprised to  
find the two were...working. Barbara was typing on the computer as Mr.  
Grayson leaned over her.  
  
"Poor kid," Barbara said. "He's only 11. He doesn't realize what he's  
doing. Just running scared."  
  
"And shooting flames out of his hands. He's lucky his parents are alive.  
That may not be the case next time."  
  
"That's why he ran, he didn't want to chance hurting them again," Barbara  
said. "He seems to be learning to control it. Look at the incidents since  
he ran away from home."  
  
Suddenly there was a crash. Helena had knocked over an umbrella holder  
trying to get closer. She'd give anything to lose that slight klutz reflex  
that was often her undoing. Mr. Grayson and Barbara were looking right at  
her and instead of them being embarrassed, like she imagined, she was  
embarrassed.  
  
"Sorry," Helena said. "I was, looking for--I didn't hear anything."  
  
"Helena, don't lie," Barbara told her. She sighed and walked up to Helena.  
"What did you hear?"  
  
"There's some freak kid is starting fires by touching things."  
  
"He's not a freak, he's a metahuman."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"There are people in this world with special abilities."  
  
"Like on 'You'll never believe it's true'?" Helena asked.  
  
"Something like that. And they're not bad people or necessarily good  
people. But when they start to get there gifts--"  
  
"Wait, a kid could be as normal as I am and suddenly have these abilities  
one day and not even know they're coming."  
  
"Yes, commonly there gifts can become active in late adolescence, but  
nothing is exact. This boy is not quite 12. He touched his parents bedroom  
door, going to tell them something and the door caught on fire. He didn't  
realize he did it, but trying to get them out he caused more of a problem.  
He ran out the door asking someone to call the fire department, he was  
scared to touch the phone. They climbed out there window. They were fine,  
but there son ran away that night and we've been trying to find him."  
  
"Is that what you do, with Mr. Grayson? I mean he's not your boyfriend?"  
  
Barbara turned and smiled at the man behind her. "He's a ... special  
friend, okay?"  
  
"What are you going to do when you find him?"  
  
"Help him find ways to control what he has, reunite him with his parents."  
  
"He must be really scared. I can't imagine how I would feel if thought I  
killed or almost killed my mom. I'm glad it's not me."  
  
"Well then you should let us work. Are you ready to go to bed now and let  
us do what we have to do?"  
  
"Yeah," Helena said.  
  
Barbara walked Helena back to the couch and tucked her in.  
  
"When your mother comes in the morning, I don't want her to think I kept  
you up all night."  
  
"Okay, I'll try to sleep goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight Helena."  
  
Barbara went back into the study.  
  
"You sure explained a lot to her," her male companion said.  
  
"Helena's a special kid," Barbara told him. "Let's get to work."  
  
  
  
The next morning, Selina Kyle arrived just as Helena was finishing her bowl  
of cereal. She hadn't told Barbara, but she'd had a nightmare last night  
about burning up her mother as she slept. Her hands were flame and though  
it didn't harm her, but she couldn't touch anyone or anything. She fought  
to wake up and break free from the horrible nightmare. She didn't tell  
Barbara about the nightmare, she didn't want Barbara to think she's made a  
mistake in telling her about the boy.  
  
"Mom," Helena said excitedly as Selina Kyle came in. She ran and gave her a  
hug.  
  
"Hey kid," Selina said returning the hug. "How was your night with  
Barbara?"  
  
"Great, I learned about Metahumans."  
  
"You what?" she said turning an accusatory gaze on Barbara.  
  
"Well, I kind of walked in on her and Mr. Grayson talking about--."  
  
"Mr. Grayson?" Selina asked with a note of panic in her voice. "He was  
here?"  
  
"Yeah, you know him?" Helena replied, suddenly aware of the fact she should  
have kept her mouth shut.  
  
"Helena, go wait in the car I need to talk to Barbara alone."  
  
Helena barely heard "I trusted you with my daughter and you--" as she  
walked down the stairs. Eves dropping had already caused enough trouble,  
she didn't want anymore trouble traced to her right now.  
  
  
  
---------  
  
Very little actual arguing happened in the apartment. Selina had been more  
afraid then furious. She thought of Helena as hers, but she was aware that  
it was only half true. It had been a fluke that Barbara found out about  
Helena. But she knew the older Helena got, there was more of a chance of  
someone putting the pieces together.  
  
"What was he doing here?" she asked.  
  
"As far as your daughter is concerned, he didn't even ask her last name.  
She's just a friend's child. But you know Selina, eventually she will know.  
Eventually she'll ask questions you don't want to answer. You can't lie to  
her when that time comes."  
  
"She's just a little girl."  
  
"She won't be forever."  
  
"But I'm going to let her be that little girl for as long as possible. You  
don't have a child, you don't know what's it's like. "  
  
"I still think we should --"  
  
"Don't, you know the kind of criminal element gunning for Batman. What do  
you think they would do if they found out he had a helpless little girl out  
there?"  
  
"She'd be Bruce Wayne's daughter, not Batman's."  
  
"For how long?"  
  
  
---------  
Walking out the door, Helena made one of her famous mistakes, looking at  
her feet as she walked. And she walked right into someone as she stepped  
off the bottom step. She rolled one way, he rolled the other.  
  
"Sorry," Helena said.  
  
"It's okay," the older boy said getting up. "I wasn't paying attention  
either."  
  
Looking at him, Helena assumed the boy with dirty brown hair was about 12.  
He started to wipe the dirt off his clothes, then stopped and stared at his  
hands.  
  
"Are they scratched?" Helena asked going up to him. "Let me see."  
  
She reached for his hands, but he pulled them away.  
  
"Don't," he said with fear in his eyes. Then he turned and ran.  
  
"Weird kid," Helena said to herself as her mother came out the building.  
  
"Get in the car Helena," Selina said.  
  
"Barbara didn't tell me on purpose and Mr. Grayson was really nice before  
he left this morning," Helena explained.  
  
"Get in the car."  
  
"I didn't see them do anything. Really mom, no kissing or nothing. They was  
just working on--"  
  
"Helena, car!!" Selina said sharply.  
  
Helena did as she was told. Selina put her daughters stuff in the back seat  
then got in the car herself. She started the car.  
  
"Mom, I---"  
  
"I'm not mad at Barbara," Selina told her. "Don't worry about it."  
  
That settled Helena's mind a little, very little. Something was wrong and  
if it wasn't anger, what was it?  
  
  
  
  
---------  
  
Any conversations about Mr. Grayson and Barbara died before they reached  
home. They stopped home just to change and put away Helena's bags. Her  
mother asked her about school and she told how she did coloring it as best  
she could. Then she got the "work hard" speech. They went out to a museum  
and had a special lunch after. Then Selina stopper by a friends house and  
they sent Helena to play with the man's 5 year old daughter. Helena was  
upset at first, but the younger girl seemed to like her so the evening  
wasn't to bad.  
  
By the time Helena got home, it was time for dinner.  
  
"I think we should find some activity to keep you busy over the summer,"  
Selina said at the dinner table.  
  
"Mom, it's called a vacation for a reason."  
  
"Bad things happen when kids are idle"  
  
"Then why can't we do stuff together?"  
  
"We usually do, but right now I don't want you getting into trouble."  
  
"You mean you want someone watching me every second of the day," Helena  
mumbled.  
  
"Helena, that's not true. If I had the time, we'd take one of our fun  
little vacations, but I'm very busy right now. And I don't want you getting  
into trouble."  
  
"There are plenty of 9 year olds who spend there day playing and don't get  
in trouble."  
  
"I didn't say you couldn't play. Pick a sport and play it."  
  
"Me, a sport, you have got to be kidding. I couldn't hit, catch, or sink a  
ball in a basket to save my life and I trip over my own feet."  
  
"But you take your falls and keep on going, eventually you'd learn  
coordination and balance."  
  
"Sure I would."  
  
"Watch the way you talk to me," he mother warned. "You're coming really  
close to getting hit in the mouth."  
  
"Sorry"  
  
"We don't live in the safest city in the world Helena. However, we do have  
a community center that offers several activities that you can enjoy  
doing." She handed her a pamphlet. "I was thinking gymnastics or maybe  
karate. "  
  
"I'm not like you mom, I'm not graceful."  
  
"You don't have to be me. I wasn't always as I am today. I was a kid. And  
anything worth doing--"  
  
"Takes work, I know."  
  
"You'll appreciate those things you earn far more than the things that come  
easy. Okay."  
  
"Do I really have to do this though?" Helena said.  
  
"Yes, now pick an activity," Selina demanded.  
  
"Okay," Helena said slouching in the chair.  
  
"Don't slouch," her mother said.  
  
Helena sat up and began picking at her food.  
  
"Hey Helena," her mother said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I love you," she said with a smile.  
  
She often did that to lighten the mood when they had a disagreements.  
  
"Love you too mom," Helena replied.  
  
  
  
Helena sat down with the pamphlet after dinner and still couldn't find  
anything she wanted to do. It was bad enough at school, she didn't want to  
look like an idiot around another bunch of kids.  
  
Her mother sent her to bed promptly at 10:00. She should have been elated  
to be back home in her own bed instead of the school dorm, but she was  
always restless her first night back in her old room, even if her mother  
did her best to tire her out.  
  
She tossed and turned for a few hours. Besides the adjustment of changing  
her sleeping area again, she was still having dreams of being a fire  
starter and burning her mother. They made her jump up every time she closed  
her eyes. She suppose she deserved it for being nosey.  
  
She got up to get a glass of milk. She checked on her mother -- asleep or  
at least she seemed to be. It wouldn't hurt to sit on the porch for awhile.  
Her mother didn't like her going out at night, but what could happen on the  
porch? Besides, she loved the night, loved the way the sky filled with  
endless stars and opened up the gateway of the universe. It was beautiful  
at night. It was like the world was open to all things great and  
mysterious.  
  
As she stepped on the porch, she heard some tin cans rattle in the distance  
and turned to see what had made the noise. Trash cans had fallen a building  
down from hers. Helena could see the form of a child bending over the cans,  
as if to pick them up. She focused on the form trying to get a better view.  
Then something happened, some slight adjustment to her vision. For a  
moment, it seemed like she could make out clearly the older boy she had run  
into earlier. That was impossible though, not only was he to far away for  
that to be the case, it was dark. Then the clear vision was gone and she  
was back to seeing only the form of someone quite a distance away.  
  
She decided to see if it was him. After all, it was just another kid. What  
harm could he do?  
  
"Need some help?" she said from behind him.  
  
She shocked him and he tripped over the can he'd been staring at. She  
offered a hand to help him up. He refused it and got on to his feet  
himself.  
  
"We gotta stop meeting like this," Helena said with a smile.  
  
"We shouldn't be meeting at all," the boy said.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Just because."  
  
"Well in case we do meet again, I think we should know what to call each  
other," Helena told him. "I'm Helena Kyle."  
  
The boy looked unsure. "Rick," he finally said.  
  
"Nice to meet you Rick," Helena said offering her hand again.  
  
He again stared at her hand but didn't offer his in return.  
  
"It's clean, I don't have any diseases."  
  
"It's not that, it's just that sometimes when I touch things...you wouldn't  
believe me."  
  
"Try me," Helena said.  
  
"No, I better go," Rick said. "Nice to meet you Helena."  
  
Rick started to walk away.  
  
"Are you him?" Helena asked causing him to pause.  
  
"Him?"  
  
"The fire starting kid? Are you him?"  
  
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"  
  
"I have a friend who can help you."  
  
"No, no one can help me," Rick replied and turned to flee at a quicker pace  
than before.  
  
"Rick!" Helena called. "Rick! Don't leave Rick."  
  
Helena sighed and began to chase after to him. When he realized this, he  
began to run. Common sense told Helena to turn back, after all she was  
running through the Gotham streets in PJs. But now that she had found the  
kid Barbara was looking for, even if it was by accident, she saw no good  
reason to let him get away. She lost him when he darted through a bunch of  
teenagers on skateboards and she tripped over a stray board. The teenagers  
helped her up. She thanked them, said she was okay, and began looking for  
Rick again. She caught a brief glimpse of him ducking into an alley. She  
followed him into the alley. It seemed deserted at first. Then a man in a  
ski mask jumped from a low window. She froze. A bag came down after the  
man, he caught it, and then came another man in a ski mask. The two men,  
who she assumed to be burglars, caught sight of the child in the bright  
PJs.  
  
"What the hell," the first man said. He pulled out a gun and turned it on  
her.  
  
'Run Helena,' her mind said. Suddenly a small figure jumped out of a  
dumpster and grabbed the man's gun hand and the gun. It was Rick. The gun  
went red hot in his hand and he dropped it.  
  
"Stupid fuck," the man said and his hand swung back and knocked the boy  
against a wall.  
  
Helena was about to run to Rick when another figure appeared from the  
shadows. In fact, at first it seemed like a shadow coming to life. It  
formed a man in an all black costume with a black cape flowing out behind  
him. The criminals lost all confidence and decided upon fleeing, but the  
man of the shadows quickly canceled that plan with a few sharp blows and a  
kind of flying rope thing that hog tied them like cattle. Helena was  
fascinated by him.  
  
He turned to her when this was done. His eyes were familiar in a way she  
couldn't explain. He looked at her for suspended moment and she smiled at  
him. She'd heard stories of him, but she had been told they were all made  
up.  
  
"Are you him? Are you ... the Batman?"  
  
She walked closer, wanting to touch him. He stepped back and she stopped.  
  
"The cops will come and get them, you get your friend and go home. Okay?"  
  
Helena nodded. Then he turned, his cape seemed to sweep him right back into  
the shadows from which he emerged.  
  
"Wow," Helena said to herself. Then she ran to Rick and tried to shake him  
awake. He regained a sense of himself and she helped him up. Then he jumped  
away realizing he'd touched her.  
  
"It's okay, you didn't burn me."  
  
They started walking out of the alley.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Rick asked. "I thought for sure you'd turn back  
once I went into that dark alley."  
  
"I told you, my friend's looking for you. She wants to help. And I knew if  
I didn't chase you down and convince you of that, we might not see you  
again."  
  
"What is that any concern of yours?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You know you can get yourself trying to be the hero."  
  
"Speaking of heroes, I saw him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The Batman."  
  
"No way," Rick said.  
  
They reached Helena's building. "You could come up and I could tell my mom  
what's going on and we could see Barbara in the morning."  
  
"I don't think so. I can't risk it Helena. You don't know what it's like to  
have a power like this. It's a curse. There is no help." Rick turned away.  
  
"But you helped me," Helena said. She ran off the steps and ran up to Rick.  
"I know this thing is creepy. Ever since I found out about it, I've been  
having nightmares about it being me. But you did something good with it.  
And you seem to have some limited control over it. Maybe with help, you can  
still have a little bit of a normal life. Besides, by what I hear, you're  
not the only metahuman in the world."  
  
"Metahuman?"  
  
"Barbara can explain these things to you. In fact she doesn't even live  
far, I could get you there right now."  
  
"Right now?" Rick questioned.  
  
"All the running would be over."  
  
"I guess if you almost got yourself killed for me, the least I can do is  
meet this woman. Can't get any worse can it?"  
  
Helena smiled and took his hand. He jumped.  
  
"See, you didn't burn me," Helena said.  
  
Again they began walking through the Gotham streets, this time to a bus  
stop. Helena knew it wasn't very smart, catching the last bus of the night  
with a boy she hardly knew -- an older boy she hardly knew, but something  
in her needed to finish it. And she was afraid if she told her mother about  
it, Selina would get angry and Rick would run again. Besides, what really  
was the difference between catching the bus in the morning or at night?  
  
Barbara wasn't home when they got there, so Helena dug up the spare key and  
let herself in. She and Rick sat down to watch some TV and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
Sunlight assaulted Helena as she awoke. It didn't help that Barbara was  
shaking her like a mad woman.  
  
"Stop, Stop," Helena said yawning.  
  
"Do you know what time it is? You're mother was worried sick."  
  
Helena focused on a clock nearby. It was 5 in the morning. She hadn't  
dreamed about burning her mother. Meeting Rick and touching him had killed  
the bad dreams.  
  
"Sorry," Helena said. Then the night before came rushing back. "Bar--Rick  
he--Where is he?" she asked thinking he ran.  
  
"He's using the bathroom," Barbara said.  
  
"After I found him, after I realized who he was, I couldn't let him get  
away. I just couldn't."  
  
"I'm grateful he's found and okay, but don't ever do it again."  
  
"Barbara, I saw Batman. He saved me and Rick," Helena said excitedly  
remembering that part of the story.  
  
"You did," Barbara said a little too pleased.  
  
"He was amazing. Is he a meta whatamacalit"  
  
Barbara laughed. "As far as I know he's just a man. A man who's trained  
hard to do what he does."  
  
"So you believe me?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"I know how grown ups are. 'No sane man would run around the city dressed  
like a bat just to beat up criminals' - that's what Jerry's dad said."  
  
Rick came back in the room.  
  
"How are you?" Helena asked.  
  
"Better," Rick replied. "You were right about Barbara. She's going to help.  
She's already talked to my parents, after she talked to your--"  
  
Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door. Barbara was going to open it  
when it flung open. Selina Kyle went right up to her daughter, ignoring the  
fact anyone else was in the room. She grabbed up her daughter, placing a  
vice grip on her arms.  
  
"Don't you EVER EVER EVER do that again!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Helena said suddenly crying, more out of fear than anything.  
"I was -- I was -- I wanted to help."  
  
"Oh Helena," Selina said loosening her grip. "I don't know what gets into  
your head sometimes. You could have been killed. And I don't know how you  
feel about that, but it would tear me apart. Do you hear me? It would tear  
me apart."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry, but I'm okay."  
  
"This time, but what about next time."  
  
"There won't be a next time."  
  
"You be sure there isn't," Selina told her.  
  
She took her in her arms and hugged her so tight, she thought she would  
stop breathing. She decided that her mother wouldn't find her Batman story  
entertaining right then. Selina stayed at Barbara's long enough to calm  
down. She thanked Barbara for calling her right away and then they left.  
  
  
---------  
  
"Mom," Helena said as they arrived at home.  
  
"What Helena?"  
  
"I'm really sorry. If it hadn't been for the Batman I would have been  
dead."  
  
"Batman?" she said with a little more interest than Helena expected. "What  
does he have to do with this?"  
  
"I saw him."  
  
"Don't be silly."  
  
That was the response Helena expected.  
  
"And something else happened," Helena said. "When I was outside, for a  
moment, it was like, like my vision changed. Not adjusted to the dark,  
changed. It was like ... I don't know, it was different."  
  
Selina paused for a moment -- as if she were thinking up a good response.  
  
"That doesn't happen Helena. That's as crazy as a man running around the  
streets dressed like a bat."  
  
"And a kid who can burn things by touch," Helena mumbled.  
  
"What?" Selina said.  
  
"Nothing," Helena replied.  
  
And that was the end of that conversation for awhile.  
  
End 


	2. Little Helena Kyle 2

TITLE: Little Helena Kyle #2  
AUTHOR: Empress Vader (empressvader01@hotmail.com)  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: The curious young Helena discovers something hidden in the shadows  
of Gotham City.  
CHARACTER: Helena, Selina Kyle, original characters  
  
DISCLAIMER: The Birds of Prey tv series belongs to the wb and some other  
people that aren't me. .  
FEEDBACK: I live and breath the stuff  
  
A/N: It seems young Helena is becoming very Dinah like in the process of  
writing. I don't know if it's good or bad.  
  
Completeness: finished  
- - - -  
  
2.  
  
It was a warm spring day and to the casual observer they were just a woman  
and child. And that's what they were these days. She was the single mother  
of a little girl, or at least that's what Selina Kyle told herself. By the  
time Selina reached the park, little Helena was just about ready to rip off  
the straps that held her in the stroller.  
  
"I want to play mommy," she said pulling on the belt before they even  
reached the playground area.  
  
"In a minute," Selina replied.  
  
Before she got the words out, Helena was ripping off her straps and running  
onto the playground.  
  
"Helena," Selina called, but she was quickly lost in a crowd of children.  
"Helena come back here."  
  
She abandoned the stroller and everything in it to search among the park  
inhabitants for her raven haired little girl. She heard an occasional  
giggle, but she couldn't find the source. She asked several people if they  
had seen the toddler run by, but with no luck. She finally came upon the  
playground Helena had been dying to get to. She looked among the children  
and didn't see the one that belonged to her.  
  
"Boo," a little voice yelled.  
  
Selina didn't jump. She turned, grabbed the little girl, and gripped her  
tight in her arms.  
  
"Don't you ever do that again!"  
  
"Sorry Mommy," Helena said.  
  
"You go only when I say from now on, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Can I play now?"  
  
"No, you're going home. You were bad and you have to be punished. Hopefully  
no one's stolen our stuff."  
  
"But Mommy..." Helena whined.  
  
"When you do bad things you have to be punished."  
  
Helena whined some more. "I hate you?" she said as her mother strapped her  
back down in the stroller.  
  
"Well I love you. That's why I can't let you get away with doing bad  
things? And you have to know that I know what's best for you?"  
  
  
***************  
  
years later  
  
  
"Grab it," Markus whispered.  
  
"I can't," Helena said.  
  
"It's easy," Markus urged. "Just grab it, stick it under your shirt and  
walk out."  
  
"This is wrong. My mom would..."  
  
"All kids shop lift once or twice. Probably even your mom."  
  
"You don't know my mom. She has a fit when I litter, she would never  
steal."  
  
"Whatever," Markus said and grabbed a bag of chips and stuck it in his  
jacket. He slipped out the door.  
  
Helena looked at the snack shelf again, shook her head and walked out the  
store. Markus was around the corner.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I couldn't do it," Helena said. "I'm sorry."  
  
"You know El-T and his friends are going to keep beating us up if we don't  
do what he says."  
  
"Isn't that what we're going to Karate class for."  
  
"Do you think we'll learn enough in a summer to beat El? He's huge."  
  
"So," Helena said. "Size isn't suppose to matter, right?"  
  
"It matters," Markus said. "You'll be back in your little preppy school in  
a month or two. What do you care?"  
  
Markus started to walk away.  
  
"Of course I care," Helena said running up to him. "I mean, I just, I won't  
steal to get into some little fake gang just so I won't get beat up walking  
home. Besides, I got a better way."  
  
"Really? What?"  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later Helena was leading Markus to what looked like an  
abandoned construction site near a deserted train station. She worked her  
way around some broken wood slats that were blocking what seemed to be an  
old subway entrance. Markus reluctantly followed her down the stairs and  
into the dead subway tunnel.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"It's an old unfinished subway line. Something happened, I can't remember.  
A friend of mine was looking at these maps and I was bored so I checked  
them out."  
  
"What kind of friends do you have?"  
  
"A grown up friend. She's like, I don't know, a god-mother." Helena pointed  
forward. " Basically if we follow this track and come up over there we'll  
can avoid El's little stupid corner. "  
  
"Cool," Markus said. "It's Pretty dark down there though. And we don't have  
flashlights. Not that I'm afraid of the dark."  
  
Helena smirked. "We'll just stay close to the wall and bring flashlights  
tomorrow. Anything's better than facing El right? Plus it's just till we  
learn how to kick some serious as--butt."  
  
"Okay, but lets stay close."  
  
Helena and Markus stayed near the wall and walked slowly down the tunnel  
Helena had pointed out. Leaning against the wall they moved slowly toward  
the destination Helena had pointed out. Halfway through they heard a low  
growl.  
  
"Did you hear something?" Markus said nervously.  
  
"Probably just a lost dog or something," Helena said, but there was a hint  
of nervousness in her voice.  
  
They groped the wall for each other's hand and then moved as quick as they  
could together towards there exit point. They dropped hands as soon as  
light came into view and they climbed up a set of stairs and emerged on a  
another near dead corner of the world, but they could see home from there.  
  
"Excellent," said Markus, forgetting they'd ever heard that growl.  
  
"I got to go, I'm late. See you tomorrow," Helena said running off.  
  
"See you," Markus said watching her leave.  
  
  
  
Helena ran to her door and slipped inside. It seemed empty, so she ran to  
the book shelf, pulled out a book and jumped on the couch. Then she heard  
the toilet flush.  
  
"Shoot," Helena mumbled.  
  
Her mother stepped into the room.  
  
"I told you to come straight home after. Am I going to have to start  
picking you up?"  
  
"Would you?" Helena said excitedly. "My friend Markus lives nearby and..."  
  
"Markus? A boy."  
  
"Yeah, he's a boy," Helena said. "So what?"  
  
"There aren't any girls for you to be friends with?"  
  
"Mom..." Helena whined.  
  
"Helena," Selina mocked. "Maybe I should have signed you up for dance  
instead of Karate."  
  
Helena rolled her eyes.  
  
"What? You did it when you were little."  
  
"When I was three, people thought my silly attempts at dancing were cute.  
By the time I turned six and realized I sucked and it wasn't so cute."  
  
"Fine, after all I let you chose your activity and you made your choice.  
But from now on, straight home. I don't want you running the street with  
Marvin."  
  
"Markus," Helena said. "And we did come straight home. We just couldn't go  
the short way."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Doesn't matter, it's not a problem now," Helena said.  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
The next day she and Markus wasted no time getting down to the old subway  
tunnels. They both remembered to bring flashlights this time. It made  
things easier and they forgot the noise they had heard the day before.  
  
They were chatting about karate class, halfway to there exit, when they  
heard the growl again. Both children froze.  
  
"Was that--?" Markus asked.  
  
"I don't know," Helena said. She turned around shinning her light in the  
dark corners of the tunnel.  
  
"Let's just get out of here," Markus said. "And maybe we shouldn't come  
back."  
  
"But El--"  
  
"I'm more afraid of whatever's down here. Things that growl usually have  
teeth."  
  
"There's nothing down here that--"  
  
Something furry leapt out of the shadows silencing the children into frozen  
fear. At first they thought it was some jungle cat. But what little light  
they had revealed that this something furry was in humanoid form. It looked  
like some type of jungle cat / human hybrid. And it spoke.  
  
"Get out," it said simply.  
  
Markus and Helena turned and ran as quickly as they could toward the exit.  
When they reached it, they both stopped to catch there breath.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"I don't know," Helena said. "Looked like some kind of cat woman or cat  
teen, I'm not sure."  
  
"I don't think we should go down there again."  
  
"Okay," Helena agreed.  
  
"See you tomorrow," Markus said.  
  
"See you," Helena replied. But she was staring back into the tunnels. Her  
mind was turning again. Could that have a been a metahuman that didn't look  
quite human? She hadn't tried to hurt them, she'd just scared them into  
leaving.  
  
Helena didn't go back down into the tunnels. She went straight home and got  
back into her summer reading. But her mind was never far from the catgirl  
in the tunnels.  
  
Barbara came by that evening. It was an unexpected treat. Helena waited  
patiently for her mother to leave the room for a few minutes. Then she  
excitedly told Barbara about the girl in the abandoned subway tunnels.  
  
"She's all alone Barbara," Helena said.  
  
"She's not Rick," Barbara told her. "You should leave her alone and stay  
away from there."  
  
"But--"  
  
"Not buts. I don't want you doing anything dangerous. Last time was enough.  
Don't go looking in the shadows of Gotham, you may not be prepared for what  
you find."  
  
"But--"  
  
Selina was back in the room. Helena quieted.  
  
  
  
That night Helena tossed and turned. She couldn't let it rest anymore than  
she could let Rick rest when she found out about him. If this was a person,  
she shouldn't be left alone down there. If this was a person, it wasn't  
even an adult person. Taking herself back in her mind, she saw the girl  
wasn't much taller than herself.  
  
Since she couldn't let it rest, there was only one thing to do. She got up  
and got some money out of her wallet. Helena grabbed a flashlight and snuck  
out again. Then she went to the local convience store and picked up a  
couple snacks.  
  
She made her way back to the tunnels. She didn't switch on her flashlight  
right away. The light might attract attention and scaring the girl may not  
be a good thing.  
  
She walked through the tunnels for awhile, but the fact that it was dark  
outside made it even darker in the tunnels, but she knew there was a way  
she might be able to see. It had only happened on it's own a few times, but  
it was enough to let her know it wasn't some random accident. She decided  
to try and adjust her vision.  
  
"Come on Helena, you did it before," Helena said to herself. "Come on  
eyes." Nothing was happening. She closed her eyes, inhaled and opened them  
again. Then she faced forward and focused. There was a small itch and  
suddenly she could make out things in the dark. "Good job Helena."  
  
"I told you to leave," said a voice behind her. She turned slowly and saw  
the catgirl.  
  
"You must have a death wish," the girl said.  
  
"Food," Helena said nervously presenting the bag.  
  
"Didn't they tell you? You don't feed the animals at the Zoo," the girl  
said.  
  
"Well animals can't usually talk," Helena said. "I don't think you are an  
animal. I think your a metahuman."  
  
The girl laughed, a dark laugh, almost to deep to belong to a girl.  
  
"No, I'm someone's sick joke. I was made, not born. And I got away, but the  
world doesn't want me. I'm not animal, I'm not human, but Humans see and  
animal and animals see a human. Do you know what it's like to live between  
worlds?"  
  
"Yes," Helena said. "Maybe not like you, but it's like at school--"  
  
"That's the difference kid," the catgirl said locking Helena's neck in one  
of her hands. She had moved so quickly Helena didn't see it coming. A nail  
was digging into her neck drawing blood. "I don't go to school, I don't  
have a mommy or a little friend that I go on adventures with. You don't  
belong here, I warned you."  
  
Helena noticed her long teeth for the first time.  
  
She panicked. This, whatever she was, wasn't anything like Rick. Her mind  
worked quickly on an escape. She flung her head forward and hit her captor  
in the head. Her hold was lossened enough for Helena to get away. She ran  
for her life. Fear caused her to lose her concentration and she tripped.  
She heard the beastgirl coming and grabbed a nearby lose wire and flung it  
around like a whip. The wire whip seem to cause more anger than hurt in her  
persuer. She flung it desperately at her some more. The wire became tangled  
around her and it gave Helena enough time to flee. She left all her things  
behind in the escape, but she made it out. How would she explain the  
injuries to her neck? There was only one thing to say, the truth.  
  
  
  
*********  
  
"I can't believe you did it again," Selina said as she patched up her  
daughter's neck.  
  
"I'm sorry," Helena said.  
  
"That's not good enough. I bet that Marvin kid."  
  
"Markus and he said we shouldn't go back down there."  
  
"Maybe it's time I give this kid a shot," Selina said.  
  
"I expected you to be more angry," Helena said.  
  
"Ever since you were a little girl, I've been trying to keep you from  
running away from me, trying to keep you safe and I just don't know what to  
do anymore."  
  
"There was a bully?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"El-T wanted us to steal to join his group or we'd just get beat up. I mean  
we're in Karate, but El's still bigger and stronger. Markus' dad would have  
told him to suck it up and fight. And you would have fought my battle for  
me, it would have been embarrassing. I wanted my own way out. So we cut  
through the tunnels and then when I saw that weird girl, all I could think  
about was Rick. And--"  
  
"Not everyone out there is a good person. And your only thinking about  
helping them, however not everyone wants that help. This is why you  
shouldn't do things like this on your own. You've been lucky twice. Once  
because Rick was a good kid and this time it was by the skin of your teeth.  
It's not all fun and games Helena, it's dangerous playing the hero and I  
want you to stop."  
  
"I'll be more careful."  
  
"No, you'll stop. I love you. Nothing in this world, nothing I have, means  
more to me than you. From now on you will have a ride to and from your  
little Karate class, okay."  
  
"Okay," Helena said.  
  
"Now go to bed I'm taking you to the doctor tomorrow so he can look at  
those cuts."  
  
"It's not that serious."  
  
"I'm making sure that's all its not. Go to bed."  
  
Selina watched her daughter disappear into her room and wondered if there  
was anyway to stop her hero streak or to stop her from running off into  
danger without thinking. She was a good kid overall, she didn't sneak off  
to be with friends or take drugs or run the street. When she was a toddler  
and she ran off to play, the punishment had been clear, she didn't behave  
so she didn't play. But now, how could she punish her for wanting to help?  
  
  
  
  
The catcreature sat alone in the tunnels searching Helena's bag. 'What had  
that kid been thinking?' she wondered. Whatever she was thinking, the  
snacks she bought tasted better than the rats she usually ate.  
  
"Hey kid," a voice said.  
  
Suddenly these tunnels were crawling with people. She turned, annoyed,  
ready to pounce. A whip lashed out and wrapped her up before she knew what  
was going on. A real whip, not the thing the little girl had used on her.  
She couldn't move. She finally saw her new visitor. A woman dressed in a  
black leather costume. A black ... cat costume. Catwoman.  
  
The woman grabbed the trapped catgirl and locked her fingers around her  
neck. Catwoman's grip was tighter than the one she'd had on the little  
girl.  
  
"Don't ever put your claws on my daughter again."  
  
"Your ... who?" the catgirl said with what breaths she could get.  
  
"What happen to you wasn't your fault? You were let go because of that,  
given a chance."  
  
"Yeah," the catgirl said struggling. "A chance at rat infested tunnels.  
What kind...of life...is this."  
  
"You weren't dealt the best set of cards. So what? You are what you are,  
deal with it or kill yourself. I don't care which. But never put your hands  
on my baby again."  
  
Catwoman let her go. The creature fought to catch her breath. By the time  
she caught her breath, Catwoman was gone.  
  
  
END  
  
(Sept. 23, 2002) 


End file.
